"Queen protects the Knight," said Marcel still with the game of chess in his mind, "but renders herself open to attack," thought Marcel to himself. "By Jove, I may win the game yet. She plays well and hits hard, but I like Violette all the more for that."
"You will be sure and come, won't you?" the young lady asked in a half whisper as she lit a cigarette when the coffee had been served, and looked up in his face with a roguish smile.
Marcel felt he could have worshipped her. He so far lost himself as to squeeze her hand, thinking that he had made sufficient progress to warrant it, but Violette gently removed her hand with a look of displeasure. He felt he had made a false move, but resolved to turn it to his advantage by saying in a low voice which he knew would only reach her:—
"Cinco sentidos tenemos
Y los cinco necesitamos
Y los cinco nos perdemos
Quando nos enamoramos."[18]
To his unbounded delight she replied:—
Love is strong, but love is blind,
No faults can we discover;
It is the heart and not the mind,
We look for in a lover.
He stayed just long enough for the host and hostess to rise, and then with immense self-content and tact nudged Payot to accompany him, and bidding them all good-night departed for the Villebois's house dreaming of the delight at crossing swords with her at the forthcoming Sunday's dinner, and feeling that he was already hopelessly in love with her.
Punctually fourteen days later, Payot and Beaupaire were ushered into the library where Delapine was sitting in an easy-chair revising an essay which he was preparing for the Academie des Sciences.
On the entrance of his visitors the professor rose to welcome them.